Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Director of Municipal Administration, Brijesh Manerkar, has issued a notification finalising the delimitation of 30 wards for the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP), paving the way for the forthcoming civic elections likely to be held in March.
The order, published in the Official Gazette, was issued on Monday with the approval of the State government under Section 9(2) of the City of Panaji Corporation Act, 2002. The Act authorises the Director, with government consent, to determine the number and boundaries of wards for the election of councillors.
According to the notification, the newly drawn ward boundaries differ substantially from those in place during the previous CCP elections held in 2021. The annexure accompanying the order specifies the limits of each ward, which will now form the basis for preparation of electoral rolls and the filing of nominations by candidates.
The delimitation exercise marks a key step in the run-up to the civic polls, bringing clarity to ward-level representation and governance. Although CCP elections are formally non-party, the contest is expected to be keenly fought along political lines.
With the ward boundaries now finalised, political activity is set to intensify, with candidate selection and campaign planning expected to take centre stage. Civic concerns such as waste management, infrastructure and urban planning are likely to feature prominently, even as the election is seen as a proxy battle for political control of Panaji.
Revenue Minister Atanasio “Babush” Monserrate is learnt to have finalised candidates for his panel, which is expected to be led by his son and incumbent Mayor Rohit Monserrate. The BJP-backed panel, meanwhile, is likely to introduce several new faces in place of sitting councillors.
On the opposition front, senior corporators Surendra and Ruth Furtado are reportedly in discussions with Utpal Parrikar, son of former Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, former councillor Menino Da Cruz and Taleigao aspirant Dattaprasad Naik to field joint candidates. The Congress has acknowledged talks with Parrikar, even as the party continues to grapple with internal divisions.
The Aam Aadmi Party is also deliberating on its strategy, weighing the option of contesting independently or extending tacit support to an anti-Monserrate grouping.
